Chronology - Quarter 1 1946

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Previous Home Next 1946 During the Year - Von Braun prophesied the construction of space stations in orbit. Nation: USA. Spacecraft: Von Braun Station. In the first 1946 summary of his work during World War II, Wernher von Braun proposed a toroidal station spun to provide artificial gravity. 1946 March - The Army Air Forces established Project RAND. Nation: USA. The Army Air Forces established Project RAND at the Santa Monica, California, plant of Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc. On 12 May, Project RAND, which had studied supersonic aircraft, guided missiles, and satellite applications, released a report on 'Preliminary Design of an Experimental World-Circling Space Ship' that argued the technical feasibility of building and operating an artificial Earth satellite. During 1946 - Launch Vehicle: Lark. Lark Program Nation: USA. Vultee Lark missile program in progress References: 4460. 1946 January 7 - Launch Vehicle: V-1. Loon first launch. Nation: USA. First missile launched at Naval Air Facility, Point Mugu, Calif., a KVW-1 Loon, USN name for AAF robot bomb (JB-2) modeled on the German V-1. The inert Loon was launched from an XM-1 launcher, a split-tube catapult with seven sequentially fired powder chambers. References: 17. 1946 January 10 - First meeting of UN General Assembly opens in London Nation: International. 1946 January 11 - Launch Vehicle: Hermes. Hermes Mach 3 ramjet proposed. Nation: USA. Von Braun briefs Hermes; V-2 first stage, ramjet second stage, cruise at 3400 kph at 19 km altitude. References: 86. 1946 January 11 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas. Strategic Missile Proposals Nation: USA. Bids were received in response to the USAAF request for proposal of the previous October. Vultee submitted proposals for two types (glide and ballistic) of 8000-km range missiles. North American proposed a three-year development program for a supersonic 800-km range missile, culminating in a production run of 50 missiles. References: 4460. 1946 January 16 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. V-2 flight tests in US initiated. Nation: Germany. U.S. upper atmosphere research program initiated with captured German V-2 rockets. A V-2 panel of representatives of various interested agencies was created, and a total of more than 60 V-2's were fired before the supply ran out. The Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University then undertook to develop a medium-altitude rocket, the Aerobee, while the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) directed its efforts to the development of a large high-altitude rocket, first called the Neptune, later the Viking. References: 17. 1946 January 19 - XS-1 Flight 1 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 1. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 1. First glide flight of AAF-NACA XS-1 rocket research airplane (No.1 of the original three X-1's built), by Jack Woolams, Bell Aircraft test pilot, at Pinecastle Army Air Base, Fla. References: 49, 97. 1946 January 26 - Army begins test of guided missiles. Nation: USA. Army announced creation by AAF of the First Experimental Guided Missiles Group to develop and test rocket missiles at Eglin Field, Fla. References: 17. 1946 February 5 - XS-1 Flight 3 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 3. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 3. At Pinecastle AAF, Florida. References: 49, 97. 1946 February 5 - XS-1 Flight 2 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 2. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 2. At Pinecastle AAF, Florida. References: 49, 97. 1946 February 11 - XS-1 Flight 4 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 4. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 4. Gear retracted, left wing damaged. At Pinecastle AAF, Florida. References: 49, 97. 1946 February 19 - XS-1 Flight 5 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 5. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 5. Nosewheel retracted on landing runout. Landing-gear door damaged. At Pinecastle AAF, Florida. References: 49, 97. 1946 February 21 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. Peenenmuende team arrives in White Sands Nation: USA. References: 86. 1946 February 25 - XS-1 Flight 7 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 7. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 7. Longitudinal and directional stability investigation. At Pinecastle AAF, Florida. References: 49, 97. 1946 February 25 - XS-1 Flight 6 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 6. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 6. Static directional stability investigation. At Pinecastle AAF, Florida. References: 49, 97. 1946 February 26 - XS-1 Flight 9 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 9. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 9. Rate of roll investigation. At Pinecastle AAF, Florida. References: 49, 97. 1946 February 26 - XS-1 Flight 8 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 8. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 8. Dynamic stability check. At Pinecastle AAF, Florida. References: 49, 97. March to April 1946 - Launch Vehicle: Atlas, Mace, Matador, Navaho, Rascal, Snark. Army Air Force awards nine one-year missile study contracts. Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. The MX-770 contract for an 800-km range boost-glide missile derived from the German A9 concept went to North American; this would evolve into the Navaho triple-sonic intercontinental cruise missile. Martin received a contract for development of the MX-771, a subsonic ground-launched cruise missile with an 800-km range; it would evolve into the Matador and Mace missiles. Curtiss-Wright and Republic received contracts for the MX-772 and MX-773 surface-to-surface missiles; they never advanced beyond the initial study stage. Convair received the contract for long-range rocket-powered missiles; this evolved into the Atlas ICBM. Northrtop received the MX-775 contract for a 5000-km range cruise missile; this eventually flew as the Snark. Bell receives a contract to develop the MX-776, a 160-km range rocket-powered supersonic missile to be launched from B-29 bombers. This would evolve into the Rascal. McDonnell received a study contract for the MX-777 air-to-surface missile; this evolved into the anti-submarine 'hydrobomb' concept and was eventually transferred to the Navy. Goodyear received contracts for the MX-778 and MX-779 air-to-surface missiles; these never advanced beyond the preliminary study stage. Concurrently, the USAAF had the GARPA surface-to-air missile project underway, which would evolve into Bomarc; the USA Army the Corporal and Hermes (later Redstone) surface-to-surface missiles and the Nike and Hermes A1 surface-to-air missiles; and the Navy a range of missile technology development projects (Regulus, Bat, Kingfisher, Little Joe, Lark, Bumblebee, Gorgon, Dove). References: 221. 1946 March 5 - Winston Churchill's “Iron Curtain” speech warns of Soviet expansion Nation: USSR. 1946 March 6 - XS-1 Flight 10 Nation: USA. Payload: XS-1 # 1 flight 10. Class: Manned. Type: Rocketplane. Spacecraft: XS-1. Crew: Woolams. Bell flight 10. Static longitudinal stability investigation. At Pinecastle AAF, Florida. References: 49, 97. 1946 March 7 - US Navy continues satellite studies. Nation: USA. BuAer Committee for Evaluating the Feasibility of Space Rocketry (CEFSR) held joint meeting with AAF representatives to work out joint satellite development program based on BuAer proposal. Nothing resulted until a subsequent Project Rand report and Navy CEFSR proposal were presented to RDB, Committee on Guided Missiles, Technical Evaluation Group in March 1948. References: 17. 1946 March 15 - Launch Site: White Sands. Launch Complex: LC33. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: V-2. LV Configuration: V-2 number 1. V-2 static fired Nation: Germany. First American-assembled V-2 static fired at White Sands Proving Ground. 1946 March 19 - LV Configuration: Word Circling Space Ship. Project RAND Nation: USA. The Army Air Forces established Project RAND, which in part included the study of satellite applications. References: 483. 1946 March 19 - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Complex: -. Launch Pad: -. Launch Vehicle: RNII Sounding Rocket. FAILURE: Failure. Test mission Nation: USSR. Agency: FIAN. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi). References: 2. 1946 March 24 - Launch Vehicle: Navaho. MX-770 strategic missile study contract awarded Nation: USA. Program: Navaho. North American received W33-038-ac-1491, a $500,000 letter contract, for study of the MX-770, an 800 km range, supersonic guided missile with a 900 kg nuclear warhead. References: 44. Previous Home Next Contact us with any corrections, additions, or comments. Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site.. To contact astronauts or cosmonauts. © Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.